But soon the fore part of him slowly rose from the water; for an instant his whole marbleized body formed a high arch, like Virginia's Natural Bridge, and warningly waving his bannered flukes in the air, the grand god revealed himself, sounded and went out of sight. Hoveringly halting, and dipping on the wing, the white sea-fowls longingly lingered over the agitated pool that he left.
可是,不一會,它的前身慢慢地從水里冒出來了,它那整個大理石也似的身體頓時拱成一個高高的拱門,象是弗吉尼亞的天然橋(弗吉尼亞的天然橋——弗吉尼亞的一條天然地道,由溪流流穿巖石而成。),而且警告似地在空中揮舞著它那旗幟般的裂尾,這條大神現(xiàn)身過后,往水里一潛,又看不見了。那些白色的海鳥便在它撇下來的湍流上面思慕地徘徊,一會兒振翅停住,一會兒往下一潛。
With oars apeak, and paddles down, the sheets of their sails adrift, the three boats now stilly floated, awaiting Moby Dick's reappearance.
這會兒,三只小艇都直豎大槳,放下小槳,松一松小風(fēng)帆,靜靜地漂泛,等待莫比-迪克再度出現(xiàn)。
An hour, said Ahab, standing rooted in his boat's stern; and he gazed beyond the whale's place, towards the dim blue spaces and wide wooing vacancies to leeward. It was only an instant; for again his eyes seemed whirling round in his head as he swept the watery circle. The breeze now freshened; the sea began to swell.
一個鐘頭,亞哈象生了根似地站在他的艇梢上,說道;他的眼睛掠過大鯨潛下去的地方,望著遠處那片迷蒙的海面,望著下風(fēng)處那片廣袤而誘人的汪洋。他只望了一下,因為當(dāng)他放眼向海面上掃了一圈后,他的眼睛似乎又在頭腦里打起旋來了。這時風(fēng)勢加急;海浪也開始洶涌了。
The birds! — the birds! cried Tashtego.
那些鳥!——那些鳥!塔斯蒂哥叫道。
In long Indian file, as when herons take wing, the white birds were now all flying towards Ahab's boat; and when within a few yards began fluttering over the water there, wheeling round and round, with joyous, expectant cries. Their vision was keener than man's; Ahab could discover no sign in the sea. But suddenly as he peered down and down into its depths, he profoundly saw a white living spot no bigger than a white weasel, with wonderful celerity uprising, and magnifying as it rose, till it turned, and then there were plainly revealed two long crooked rows of white, glistening teeth, floating up from the undiscoverable bottom.
這時,那群白鳥象是一群飛翔的藍鷺,排成長長一列縱隊,向亞哈的小艇飛過來了;等它們飛到相距幾碼的地方,便在那邊的海上鼓起翅來,帶著愉快的、期待的叫聲,盤來盤去盡打旋。它們的視覺比人銳敏;亞哈也看不出海里有些什么動靜。但是,突然間,他俯頭仔細緊瞪著海里一望,他卻意味深長地看到了一個活動的小白點子,大小跟白鼬鼠相仿佛,正在神速地往上冒,越冒越大,等到它一轉(zhuǎn)身,就清清楚楚地露出了兩長排彎曲閃亮的牙齒,從那無從發(fā)見的深淵里騰了起來。